Kids get lost at Disney Parks. It happens
everyday. Recently, I've had the opportunity to speak with some wonderful Cast
Members [Disney- speak for employee, CM for short] from Disneyland who have
shared with me a plethora of information and stories to share with you!

Describing her experiences with lost
children, one Cast Member said, "It happens to good parents!" There
are a few key things to be aware of when planning a trip with children. First of
all, don't panic. Disney has excellent systems in place to deal with lost
children. Second, plan ahead, just in case this does happen.

The System

Disney has established systems for
helping to reunite lost children and their adults. (Children go to Disneyland
with parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends, so for the
purpose of this column, I'll be using the term "adults".) Here is how
the system works at Disneyland:

The sign outside the facility

Once a Cast Member (CM) finds a lost
child 12 or under, (s)he is released by his / her lead to help the child.
Immediately, the CM contacts Lost Children (LC.) LC registers the child's name,
age, location, and the name of the adult in charge of the child. This way, if
the adult notifies a CM that (s)he is looking for a lost child, that CM can call
LC to see if the child is registered yet. Hopefully, the two can be reunited
quickly.

After registering the child with LC, the
CM is trained to help calm the child. They spend ten to fifteen minutes looking
for the child's adult. They will retrace the child's steps. If the child was
told to go to a meeting place, the CM and child will check that location. If
this search is unsuccessful, the CM escorts the child to the Lost Children Room
on Main Street. This is located on the north end of Main Street, next door to
Central First Aid.

When children arrive at Lost
Children, they have usually been calmed down.

The LC room is decorated as a garden
setting. Silk flowers and greenery hang from lattice work, light is diffused by
plastic clouds on the ceiling, and wicker chairs, stools, and even a rocking
chair furnish the room. The LC is staffed by a kind CM and offers a selection of
Disney videos to watch. There is also a Lego table with Duplo blocks available.

Lost children are comforted in this
environment

When an adult arrives at LC to find a
child, the CM knows who they are because the child reported the name of the
adult when (s)he was first registered with LC. Of course, the child and adult
are also usually quite relieved to see each other, too.

If you're reading
this column, I assume you speak English. However, it's good to know that the CMs
at Disney Parks speak a multitude of languages. One day, a man who only spoke
French arrived at LC looking for a child. The CM there made a phone call to see
if any French speaking CMs were available. Within minutes, several CMs arrived,
some with admittedly limited French, but all were willing to help in anyway they
could! Multi- lingual CMs can be called to comfort lost children and adults
alike.

The twelve year
old age limit is a guideline. Some older children have used this service
depending on the maturity level of the child. Lost Children has been used to
help adults with developmental impairments, such as Down's Syndrome, also. For
lost adults, City Hall has a message book. Adults can leave messages there for
others to try to reunite. Disneyland will not page people in the park except for
rare cases of extreme emergency.

The CMs who have worked at
the LC over time have noticed patterns which complicate lost children situations.

Children are most
likely to become lost during parades, Fantasmic! showings, and on crowded days.
During these times, children are more likely to look up to follow their adults,
but they find a sea of giants and at times get disoriented and lost. Believe it
or not, there are adults who leave children in strollers while they go on rides!
Disneyland has provided the Child Switch service (see right) for adults to take
turns riding these rides without having to wait in line twice.

Adults can hamper
efforts by not asking for help. They may not realize that Disney has such an
efficient system in place. By asking a CM for help, children usually can be
found quickly. Another problem occurs when large groups split up. One group
assumes that the child is with the other group, and vice versa. No one realizes
that the child is "missing" until the two groups reconvene, so the
child may remain "lost" for quite some time.

There are times when older
children do not want to be found!

Preteens (ten to
twelve years old,) may enjoy their new found freedom and so they don't
"turn themselves in." Furthermore, children have a distorted sense of
time. One pattern typically occurs when children have been told to arrive at a
pre- determined meeting location don't wait long enough for their adults to
arrive. After waiting just a few minutes, they think they've waited much longer.
Scared, the child may then tell a CM that (s)he is lost. Finally, some children
are found crying and refuse to talk to the CMs which hampers the process.

Videos help distract worried little ones

So what can you do to plan
ahead?

There are several
steps you can take to prepare children in case you get separated. Don't wait
until you are at the park to make or explain your plan. By that time, the
sights, sounds, and excitement of the atmosphere are distracting children who
are determined that they "Must Ride Dumbo."

Present the
information so that the children are empowered rather than scared. Let them know
that Disney CMs know how to help kids and adults find each other and that if
they get lost, everything will be OK. Once at the park, take children up to CMs
and show them what a white CM namebadge looks like. Many people at Disney parks
have souvenir badges on, so you want the children to know to find a person who
has a white CM namebadge. Remind them that if they are lost, CMs are safe
people. Reassure your children that you will not leave or go home without them!
Many children arrive at Lost Children scared that their parents will do just
that!

Make sure children have
necessary information on them.

This includes the
name of the adult in charge of them and phone numbers for cell phones those
adults may be carrying. A cell phone can be an invaluable tool. If you have one,
however, make sure that the battery is charged and the power is turned on!

There are a few
ways to help kids carry this information safely. A name badge on a necklace
(such as from tour groups or conventions) can be worn inside a child's shirt. A
sticker can be stuck inside a child's pocket. One resourceful adult had two
ten-year olds pull up their t-shirts and she wrote her cell number with a ball
point pen on their upper arms near their shoulders! These techniques keep such
information private but make sure that the children have it if they need it.

Before you arrive
at the park, discuss a meeting place. Once you are there, go to that place so
the children know exactly what it looks like and where it will be. My husband's
family often announced before trips to Disneyland: "Let's meet in front of
the castle." One group would meet in front of a bench to the right while
another convened on the drawbridge! The castle is a big, non-specific location.
Find a more specific location for your meeting place. The "Hub" at the
north end of Main Street has several statues of Disney characters, for example.
You can pick one specific character like Donald Duck for a meeting place. Remind
the child that it may take you a few minutes to arrive at your meeting location,
so (s)he should wait there until you arrive.

By being prepared, many lost
children incidents can be avoided or resolved quickly and with few tears.

So often at the
Happiest Place On Earth, adults lose their tempers. Some have been so scared
that once reunited, they yell at their children. Urban legends about kidnappings
only aggravate these situations. Hopefully, armed with this knowledge, you can
remain somewhat calm if it happens to you. Remind your children and yourself
that you have a park full of kind CMs ready to help you.

Child
Switch is available on several of the faster attractions which have height
requirements in order to ride. Here is how it works:

With my
too- young- to- ride child, I approach the Cast Member attending the
entrance to the attraction. Then I request a Child Swap Pass.

While my
husband and the rest of our group rides the attraction, I wait near the
exit with our son (or I can go shopping!).

After the
rest of my group rides the attraction, I meet my husband, hand him the
little one, and then I can take one person with me and ride it without
waiting in line. Usually this means entering the ride through the exit.

Because I
can take someone with me, they can either wait with me so I'm not alone or
they can ride twice!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Adrienne
gathered experience taking kids to amusement parks when she worked
as a day camp counselor and director. She was an elementary school
teacher before she started her favorite job, being Matthew's
Mom.

Adrienne
and Matthew visit Disneyland several times a month, usually with
Daddy, too.

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